Bless Those Who Persecute You

Romans 12:14–15 NKJV

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

The Previous 5 verses from 9-13 have been dominated by love particularly “Agape” of unconditional love. The key characteristic of the transformed life is love. In the first 11 chapters Paul has only spoken of God’s unconditional love for us.

Romans 5:1–5 NKJV

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts

I glory in tribulations

Knowing that it produces perseverance (patient waiting) For our blessed hope the redemption of our bodies. Which produces character or the proof of our election. Which produces greater hope.

But the reason that Paul says that hope does not disappoint is because the the Holy Spirit who was given to us (that is the Holy Spirit who is the earnest or the first fruits of our salvation) has pour out into our hearts the abundant and unconditional sacrificial love of God. The evidence of the Holy Spirit in you is the Love of God which He has pour out into you heart which overflows and manifest in you life in the love that you have for God and for the saints and for all people as described in Romans 12.

As we come now to verse 14 of chapter 12 Paul instructs us on how the love of God which is poured out in our hearts manifest itself towards our persecutors.

Persecute in verse 14 is the same word that Paul used in verse 13 translated given (or pursue). So we are to pursue strangers to show them love and yet some pursue to inflict suffering. Has anyone every pursue you to inflict pain or suffering. They have gone out of their way to cause you pain. Maybe at work, at school or even perhaps at home. Maybe it was retaliation or retribution because we had done something to hurt them. Hopefully not. In first Peter he speaks about servants with harsh masters.

1 Peter 2:18–21 NKJV

18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

Which would apply to all of us if we suffer because we have wrong someone or if we have broken the law then what credit is it to us? But if we suffer for doing good then that is commendable before God.

In Rom 12 one who would persecute us it is implied that it is not because we have done evil. Although I believe that the correct response is the same regardless. So what response is it that Paul

Bless and Do Not Curse

Bless and do not curse those who pursue to and harm you or speak evil of you or falsely accuse you. This is totally contrary to our natural human response in these situations. It goes against every fibre of our being to respond to the person who intentionally hurts us by speaking well of them and to wishing them well and to even (as is the traditional understanding of blessing) invoke a blessing on them for them to prosper and do and be well. So where does this response come from. Do we just say the words like when we were forced to apologise to our brother or sister after a fight. “Say you’re sorry” “I’m sorry” “Now say it like you mean it”. Or does this response need to come from a place of authenticity? Do I need to genuinely care for my persecutors and sincerely wish them well? If it’s not genuine then I don’t think there is much value in it.

So that means i need to have a complete paradigm shift in the way I think and feel towards my persecutors. How do we do that?

I believe that Paul’s instruction here is firmly based on the teachings of Christ. When we consider what Jesus had to say about this subject I believe that He addresses both our mindset towards the suffering itself that is the evil that is being done to us. And He address our mindset toward the one who is doing the evil.

So first what should be our attitude towards the suffering itself.

Matthew 5:10–12 NKJV

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Blessed are you - that is happy are you joyful are you. Rejoice.

This is the same attitude that we are to have toward all affliction as we saw in

Romans 12:12 NKJV

12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

Be joyful or count it all joy when you fall into diverse afflictions. and for the same reason. For the hope.

Matthew 5:12 NKJV

12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

You see we know something they don’t know. That God is working according to His purpose which is to redeem me entirely and completely. And I know that He is sovereign and now one can harm a hair on my head unless He has purposed it for my completion.

The Christian attitude towards suffering of any kind is totally unique and radical. We don’t seek suffering for the sake of suffering but if God brings it we receive it with joy. This has been a mark of true Christians throughout the ages.

Hebrews 11:35–40 NKJV

35 Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

We have not yet received the promise but through faith we endure because of hope. we fix our eyes on the promise of God and it is a promise that will not disappoint.

This changes our whole attitude towards suffering persecution.

So what about the person or people who are doing evil to us? What is our attitude towards them?

Matthew 5:43–48 NKJV

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

The Pharisee added to the Old Testament Law of “Love your neighbour as yourself”. neighbour was to be taken in the broadest possible sense as every other person as Christ taught in the parable of the good Samaritan. But the Pharisees interpreted it differently and added to it “and hate your enemy” Nowhere in the Old Testament does it say to “hate your enemy”.

So Christ teaches that we must love everyone. His reasoning - Because the Father loves everyone. He causes it to rain on the just and the unjust and makes the sun to rise on both the good and the evil. If we are truly children of God then we must reflect His character.

And remember that you too were an enemy of God and where would we be if He had not loved us?

Romans 5:10 NKJV

10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

So we can only live what Paul teaches in Rom 12 if we have a paradigm shift or if we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. That we would have the mind of Christ so that we see suffering of any kind, including suffering at the hand of a persecutor as the means by with God is making us complete and holy. And so that we would be like our heavenly Father and love our enemy.

How do we understand this in light of Rom 12:9 where we are told to abhor what is evil. There is a difference between loving a person and loving what they do, or loving their ideas. We are not told to love the persecution. But we must love the persecutor.

Hebrews 12:1–2 NKJV

1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus despised the shame. He hated the evil that they did to Him but He prayed Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.

You may have heard the phrase “Hate the sin but love the sinner”. You won’t find this phrase in the Bible and for this reason some reject it. However, I think that we do find this concept taught in the scripture. We as Christians should not hate people. We should love them. But the evil that people do is destroying them and others. So that evil we abhor. Sin separates people from God so sin I hate. It is because we love people that we should hate sin.

God loved us while we were still His enemy and Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. He has taken us out of the kingdom of darkness and made of citizens of the Kingdom of light. We are now to be ambassadors of Kingdom of God and to do that we must be as out Father in heaven.

Maybe you have not really been persecuted before. With the way things are going I don’t believe that it will be very long before all true Christians will face some level of persecution. So be prepared. Be ready to bless your persecutors. Do not curse them but pray for them, love them. We are called to be different than the world. We are called to be holy as our Father in heaven is holy.